1. Field
The present invention relates to blinds used for hunting waterfowl and, more particularly, to a portable, boat-supported duck blind that is collapsible and adjustable to fit most conventional boats.
2. Description of the Prior Art
During the past few years, portable blinds have become increasingly popular to waterfowl hunters, primarily, duck hunters, due to their convenience and versatility over stationery blinds. Many duck hunters who typically use stationery blinds also own small, flat bottomed boats for transportation to and from a stationery blind located in a flooded field or lake. Accordingly, numerous attempts have been made to develop a portable duck blind that may be attached to a conventional boat owned by a hunter, or with which a hunter would likely be familiar. One such effort is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,456 issued Dec. 25, 1990 to Steward.
Additional examples of boat-supported duck blinds are shown in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 4,671,203 to Sanburg; 4,593,641 to Adams et al.; 3,787,912 to Huey, Jr.; 4,070,722 to Sutherland; 2,889,839 to Sheridan; 4,106,145 to Gillen et al.; and 2,816,297 to Stanley.
Several desirable features of a portable duck blind are adaptability for different sized boats, ease of attachment to a boat, ease of operation, collapsibility to a lowered position for storage and transportation, and the ability to allow a hunter to shoot in any direction. The aforementioned prior art devices typically do not provide one or more of these desirable features. Some perform acceptably well once installed, but must be custom built for the particular boat with which they will be used. Others are more adaptable for different sized boats, but are unnecessarily complicated to install or cumbersome to use. Still others are relatively simple, but unacceptably restrict a hunter's ability to shoot in any direction. Accordingly, a need has been recognized for an improved portable duck blind which solves these deficiencies in the prior art.